Watery Diarrhea|Vomiting And Diarrhea|Toddler Diarrhea

Diabetes insipidus is not a new term now. Many individuals suffer every year with this disorder. Diabetes insipidus is a disorder where a person experiences excessive thirst that results in excretion of large amount of diluted urine which is responsible for the reduction in the amount of the body fluid. It is commonly called as DI and there are various reasons that favour occurrence of DI in humans. The most prevalent type of diabetes insipidus is the neurogenic DI which is caused by the deficiency of the anti-diuretic hormone typically recognized as argentine vasopressin. Another type of DI is nephrogenic DI which is the result of non-responsiveness of the kidneys towards the vasopressin.

The symptoms of diabetes insipidus comprise excessive urination and feeling of frequent thirst. The symptom including excessive urination resembles that of the diabetes mellitus with a difference that no blood glucose is present in the urine. Blurring of the eye vision may also occur but is rare. Dehydration may also occur as a person is unable to conserve water resulting in loss of body water. The loss of water through frequent urination may persist throughout the day and may continue till night. The children suffering from DI may show loss of appetite, body weight, growth, fever, vomiting and diarrhea. Adult individuals with untreated DI may tend to remain healthy until the water loss is minimized but they are at greater risk of potassium ion depletion.

Diabetes insipidus may be diagnosed by testing the calcium level, bicarbonate level and the blood glucose level. The sodium ion is found to be comparatively high in the electrolyte test. The analysis of urine reveals dilute urine with low specific gravity and low electrolyte level. The fluid deprivation test reveals that whether the disorder is the result of excessive uptake of fluid or defect in the ADH production or due to unresponsiveness of the kidneys towards ADH. The fluid deprivation test also indicates the changes in body weight, urine output, and urine composition. The patients continue to urinate frequently in absence of any fluid intake. Desmopressin is given to the patients which is responsible for the reduction of the urine output and increases the osmolarity of the urine and the kidneys tend to function normally.

Electrolyte and volume homeostasis are the complex mechanisms of the human body that regulate the blood pressure and sodium and potassium ions in blood. Urine production is under the control of hypothalamus which secretes ADH from the supraoptic and the paravenrticular nuclei. After the synthesis of ADH, it is transported in the form of neurosecretory granules through the axons of hypothalamic neurons to the posterior lobe of the pituitary gland where it is stored to be used further. The ventromedial nucleus of the hypothalamus is responsible for the regulation of the thirst. Kidney is the main effector organ the fluid homeostasis. ADH is responsible for the absorption of the water into the bloodstream and concentrating the urine.

There are several forms of DI. One such type is the neurogenic diabetes insipidus which is commonly recognized as the central DI. It is caused when the production of the hormone vasopressin is lost in the brain. Other type is the nephrogenic DI which is the result of the failure of the response of the kidneys towards ADH. Third type of the diabetes insipidus is the gestational DI which is caused only during the period of pregnancy. It has been reported that all the pregnant ladies produce an enzyme vasopressinase in the placenta that breaks the ADH; this can attain many hazardous forms in the gestational DI. GDI in most cases is treated with desmopressin. Diabetes insipidus is also responsible for causing several dangerous diseases in the period of pregnancy like the pre-eclampsia, HELLP Syndrome and Acute fatty liver of pregnancy. These diseases are caused by the activation of the hepatic vasopressinase. Failure in the treatment of any of these diseases can lead to the death foetus. Another form of DI is the dipsogenic DI which occurs due to the defect or damage of the thirst mechanism that is controlled by the hypothalamus. This results in the abnormal intake of fluid and increase in the thirst which suppresses the ADH secretion resulting in increased production of urine. Desmopressin is ineffective for its treatement.

Central DI and gestational DI can be treated with the help of desmopressin but it is ineffective for the treatment of the nephrogenic diabetes insipidus. Indomethacin is used for the treatment of the nephrogenic DI. Several types of amilorides are available for the treatment of DI. Diabetes insipidus if treated carefully will be kept under control.

Candida albicans is one of a number of yeasts that live in your digestive tract.  It normally exists in low amounts together with millions of bacteria that keep your bowel functioning normally. In certain conditions Candida can multiply out of control causing distressing symptoms. A Candida detox is an excellent natural method to cleanse your system and bring it back into balance.

What causes Candida?

When the critical balance of Candida to bacteria in your body is disturbed Candida can gain the upper hand. This overgrowth can be responsible for numerous symptoms that involve more than the digestive tract but they can be treated with a Candida detox. The balance between yeast and bacteria can be upset as a result of:

• Immune dysfunction or disease.


• Upset in ratio of good to bad bacteria in the GI tract


• Change in intestinal pH.

 A number of factors can cause immune dysfunction:

•  Drugs, anti-inflammatories, cortisone, birth control pills, antibiotics, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs


• Toxic metals like mercury, lead, cadmium, nickel and aluminum


• Stress and over-consumption of refined carbohydrates and sugar

 How does Candida cause damage?

The Candida yeast attaches itself to the walls of the digestive tract. Under certain conditions it can turn into a fungal state and puts out filament like roots deep into the intestinal lining. The fungus releases toxins that get into the blood stream causing symptoms in other organs and tissues. So as well as bowel symptoms of gas, bloating, pain, constipation, diarrhea, food intolerance and indigestion you can get other symptoms such as asthma, sinusitis, fatigue, depression, brain fog, chemical sensitivity, muscle pain or discomfort and general feelings of ill health. The good news is that all these symptoms can vanish when you bring candida back under control with a Candida detox.

 How to do a Candida detox:

 There are a number of Candida detox recipes but one of the best is a mixture of Bentonite clay powder, psyllium husk powder and liquid caprylic acid. Die off symptoms are very much minimized by the use of this cleanse.

•  Psyllium husks powder is a fiber that acts as sort of gentle scrubbing brush. It bulks up the stool making elimination easier. Use approximately 1 teaspoon to 8 oz of pure water for each cleanse.


• Bentonite, as a finely ground powder or liquid, attracts toxins and adsorbs them, preventing them getting into the body. It can help prevent symptoms from the release of Candida toxins as it dies off. Use 1 -2 tablespoons.


• Caprylic acid, a natural antifungal, is a fatty acid obtained from coconut. In capsule form it would be absorbed high up in the digestive system before it had a chance to get to the parts of the intestines where it is needed so the liquid form is preferred. The liquid caprylic acid is held in the gel formed from the psyllium and water and is thought to disperse throughout the length of the digestive tract. Add 1 teaspoon - 1 tablespoon to the psyllium and Bentonite mixture and shake up well in a lidded container and drink immediately.


• Probiotics are an essential part of the Candida detox to repopulate the bowel with good bacteria that keep the yeast in check. Look for a high potency dairy free one with multi-strains of bacteria.

Candida Detox Diet

For the Candida detox to be effective you must also do the anti-Candida diet. Sugar feeds the yeast so is probably the most important thing to exclude as well as products containing it. In fact, it's good to avoid all refined carbohydrates such as white flour products. In many cases it is helpful to exclude gluten containing products such as bread and pasta as well as dairy products. Even the milk sugar, lactose seems to feed the yeast.  

 Some people with Candida overgrowth become sensitive to other yeasts and do better excluding yeast products. All meat should be free range or organic to avoid antibiotic and hormone residue that some intensively reared animals contain. The best foods to eat are fresh and natural. Eat plenty of fresh vegetables especially green ones.  

Use the Candida detox protocol once or twice a day for 6 - 12 weeks depending on the severity of your problem. It will help you to overcome Candida. It is always best to get the advice of a health professional who understands the problem and has a good track record for helping people suffering from Candida overgrowth.

Dog intussusception can be quite a painful experience for your dog, can be an irritating nuisance cause them not to eat or drink and make the generally feel unwell, and can be easily mixed up with many other more common conditions such as dog constipation or straining to pass feces.

As complicated as the name might suggest this condition is, in simple terms intussusception begins with a mild case of diarrhea or vomiting. This in its self is normally harmless to your dog long term and nothing more would be thought of this in any normal dog home, but as the contractions of the vomiting or diarrhea get worse it is possible that the muscles in the lower intestines contract so hard that they overlap each other or go inside each other.

This happens because within the lower intestines there is a series of smaller muscles that contract and detract so that the food is slowly passed along the intestines. But when your dog has the unfortunate condition of diarrhea or vomiting caused by another none related and usually common condition, it contracts rapidly as the body panics to try and get rid of the offending items or poisons.

After the overlapping process has happened it then causes more trouble because the following food that is being passed through the intestines becomes trapped in the alcove o the overlapped part. Then as you might expect the food pushes and pushes away at the sides making the alcove bigger and bigger containing all the stale and hardened food as well as causing blood flow problems and irritation.

This is not a very common occurrence in dogs but is none the less very irritating and painful for the dog in question and may cause constant retching to vomit and pass waste along with generally feeling unwell and uncomfortable enough to not eat or drink in most cases.

Surgery is usually the way your vet will fix dog intussusception by going into the effected area and pulling the two overlapping part apart and releasing and removing the contained waste to ensure a normal passage in the future.

This procedure should always be dealt with by a vet or professional in the dog health area, if you suspect this then ring your vet and ask for further advice and guidance which usually results in a check-up to identify the condition and deal with it appropriately.

Soy is the original hippie food that gave birth to the words Natural and Organic. The FDA (Food and Drug Administration) and the AHA (American Heart Association) for more then twenty years have questioned the risks and benefits of soy. In the meantime, soy has become an extensively overused ingredient. So while Americans consume soy either by choice or for lack of reading a label, it's uncertain whether soy has a negative effect on the thyroid and does soy in fact, offer any health benefits at all.

Tofu, tempeh, miso, soy milk, soy flour, soy chicken, soy tuna, soy protein, soy in condiments and per-prepared foods, burgers, sausage, and hot dogs, soy supplements and soy in menopause wellness formulas, soy in breads and pastas, soy in lotions, potions and hair dye, soy oil, soy cheese, soy in lipsticks, cosmetics, candles, shampoos and household cleaning products, soap, crayons, paper, and clothing. Even if you are a soy devotee, the ingredient has morphed from fermented bean curd into everything else.

Soy and the Thyroid

During perimenopause and menopause it is not unusual for women to develop thyroid problems. Since 1970, the number of thyroid incidences has more than doubled and approximately80% of thyroid disease is experienced by females.

Soy is a food that is categorized as a goitrogen. These are foods that promote the formation of goiter, a swelling in the thyroid gland, which can lead to a swelling of the neck or larynx. Soy is capable of interfering with the thyroid's normal function causing thyroid disease such as Hypothyroidism, a condition in which the thyroid gland does not make enough thyroid hormone or Graves' an autoimmune disease that can cause over activity of the thyroid -- a condition known as Hyperthyroidism.

During perimenopause and menopause many women develop digestive problems that can easily interfere with daily life. Because we think we are doing all the right things to manage menopause naturally, we simply may not be connecting the dots.

Soy is it a common allergen, so even if it is not affecting your thyroid function specifically, it may be triggering symptoms of an allergic response, which include gastric upset, indigestion, gas, bloating constipation, acne, nausea, a stuffy nose, diarrhea, stomach pains, cramps, headaches, heart palpitations, skin rashes, hives, swelling in the throat, brain fog and fatigue. Also, if you take a thyroid medication for any reason soy can interfere with its proper absorption.

Christiane Northrup, MD, the author of The Wisdom of Menopause, has been a frequent guess on the Oprah Winfrey Show to talk about menopause. As an advocate of soy, Dr. Northrup suggests that women incorporate soy into their diets. Today, both Dr. Northrup and Oprah are hypothyroid. Coincidence or not, we will never know.

Thanks to Oprah she has graciously once again shared from her own unfortunate thyroid story and has created awareness for many women about soy, hormones and thyroid health.

• Some women might believe that bioidentical hormones are the right treatment for thyroid problems - and they're not.


• Some women might think that bioidentical hormones such as estradiol or progesterone are risk-free - and they're not.


• Some women might believe that soy milk and other soy foods are beneficial for thyroid function - when they can actually harm the thyroid.

Does Soy Have Heart or Bone Health Benefits?

After 19 clinical studies on soy the National Institute of Health (NIH) states "there are no significant effects on HDL cholesterol, triglycerides, lipoprotein, or blood pressure. Among the 19 studies of soy isoflavones, the average effect on LDL cholesterol and other lipid risk factors was nil.

Soy protein and isoflavones have not shown to lessen vasomotor symptoms of menopause, and results are mixed with regard to soy's ability to slow postmenopausal bone loss. The efficacy and safety of soy isoflavones for preventing or treating cancer of the breast, endometrium, and prostate are not established; evidence from clinical trials is meager and cautionary with regard to a possible adverse effect. For this reason, use of isoflavone supplements in food or pills is not recommended."

The American Heart Association has also declared that soy has little or no effect on cholesterol and is unlikely to prevent heart disease.

If you eat, drink or take soy in a supplement and are concerned about your thyroid, speak with your doctor and get tested. Until there is a clear answer to soy's toxicity and risks, please use your good sense and not marketing mania as your purchasing guide.

Yes, I am among the 20% of dogs that have allergies.

I asked my vet and she gave me a short overview on some possible causes and solutions. I have seen so many dogs wheeze, cough, lick, and scratch themselves raw. Most everyone wants to help them out of their misery but don't know where to start.

The following was very helpful for tracking down and eliminating many myths and misinformation I was laboring under. It is a long process of elimination for dog owners to identify just what is causing the symptoms for allergies. It could be so many sources depending on your dog, weather, environment, food, etc.

1. There are many things that both the dogs and the dog owners could have in common. For example, both dogs and dog owners could be prone to obesity if not regulating food intake and by not exercising.

2. In addition, dogs and humans may also acquire diseases that results from improper dietary regimen like diabetes, heart diseases, etc.

The most amazing thing that both dogs and humans share is the fact that they are both vulnerable to suffering from very similar allergies.

Sounds impossible? Not so.

3. Veterinary experts assert that dogs have allergies too. One of the primary signs of allergies is the itching of their skin.

4. Humans and canine respiratory tract systems can also be affected with allergies and are the very common.

Normally, dogs will show symptoms of respiratory tract allergies like sneezing, wheezing, and coughing. Their nose and their eyes may also manifest a discharge just like humans do whenever they have colds or flu.

There are also allergies that may have an effect on their digestive system; hence, it may result as watery stools, diarrhea, or vomiting. Diets help control allergies but are time consuming to test and often quite expensive.

Experts say that almost 20% of the dogs in the United States suffer from diverse types of allergies.

Ginger has long been known to be a wonderful health tool as well as a lovely cooking spice. There are quite a few ailments ginger can help alleviate, such as pain from gas, indigestion, nausea, diarrhea, and inflammation of the joints. Also, limited studies have shown ginger to be a useful spice in combating heart disease as it may thin the blood and lower the cholesterol levels of humans.

However, most people are interested in ginger because of its purported powers over the human body's sex drive. The myths, stories, scientific facts, and medical findings regarding ginger show it has a long history of not only stimulating the human sex drive, but also increasing feelings of lust, bettering sexual performance, and boosting yearnings of attraction.

The History of Ginger

Ginger's history starts all the way back to 500BC in the writings of Confucius--a well renowned Chinese philosopher. And physicians as well as medical philosophers from the Middle East and ancient Greece and Rome touted this spice's aphrodisiac and lustful yearning powers. The Koran, Islam's book of sacred texts, states that ginger was included at the feasts being served in Paradise.

The Legend of Ginger

In France, it is said that Madam du Barry, King Louis XV's official royal mistress during the years between 1769 to 1774, served up the all powerful ginger to each and every one of her lovers, King Louis XV included. The way the legend tells the story, whenever she fed her lovers ginger, they would become completely submissive to her every demand and desire.

The Scientific Facts About Ginger

Since ginger has a strong, unique aroma, many people instantly recognize its scent as a sexually arousing stimulant. The effects of ginger can be experienced even without ingesting it. For example, its aroma alone has the power to increase a person's circulation, which in turn causes hypersensitivity in erogenous zones.

And because the perspiration properties of ginger are very strong, many people regard this as one of the reasons why it is the ideal aphrodisiac. When ginger is consumed, the body will begin to perspire, causing the heart rate to increase. These two effects are in many ways similar to feelings experienced during sexual intercourse. Of course, ginger has quite a kick to it, like so many other spices that make the heart rate become elevated.

Because ginger can pep up a person's circulatory system--the system in charge of circulating the blood, the removing of toxins, the cleansing of the bowels and kidneys, and the supplying of nutrients to the skin--it is only natural that ginger would also be able to increase the blood flow to the user's private area.

The Medical Findings About Ginger

The Ibadan University's College of Medicine, located in Nigeria, conducted a study in 2002 regarding how ginger effected rats. During the eight days of testing, all rats were fed water droplets mixed with ginger in order to see what effect ginger would have on their testosterone levels. The findings showed the weight of the rat's testes as well as the levels of testosterone had increased. This fascinating study demonstrates that testosterone secretions may be elevated upon the consumption of ginger, which is key when it comes to a man's sex drive as testosterone is the controlling factor.

Have you heard of the saying "Breast feeding is good for babies up to 2 years of age?" This saying is true because it is the best nutrition advice that the doctor could recommend to a mother when feeding her baby. There are doctors who stated that babies who are breast fed for at least 2 years since their birth builds strong bones and increases the immunity system of the baby. There are formulas that don't have some of the nutrients a baby needs which is why mother's milk is better since it has many nutrients. This is because of what the mother eat; the vitamins from the food she eats add up to the nutrients in her mother's milk. That is why breast feeding is good for the baby. Here are some amazing facts about breast milk.

• Breast milk cannot be replaced by any other artificial foods that you can feed to your baby. Breast milk has the nutrients that your baby needs. It tastes much better for a baby.

• The baby that drinks breast milk can become healthier and his or her body builds more defenses against various types of diseases that the baby can encounter in the future. Breast milk doesn't affect the baby's bowel movement and prevents diarrhea.

• Mother's milk is easily digested by the baby so the he or she does not feel any constipation. Breast milk is a vaccine to some infectious diseases.

• If you have prepared breast milk in a bottle, the it doesn't get spoiled if stored at the right temperature. mother's milk does not spoil for a day or two if you store it in the refrigerator.

• Mother's milk creates a strong bond between mother and baby. When the baby drinks mother's milk, he doesn't need anything else except finding his or her mom when he or she is hungry. This creates a strong love between the two.

• You can still feed the baby during the nights that he might get hungry and you can rest while your baby is breast feeding. When the baby is done, you both can sleep soundly.

These are some of the facts about breast feeding and breast milk. The baby doesn't need other food when he or she is at least 3 months old. You can feed him or her other things when he or she is older but there is no better substitute for breast feeding.

Cats are one of the most beautiful pets and no one wants to see his pet in a pathetic stage. Many diseases and illnesses are responsible for the bad heath of your pet. Cats are very sensitive as compared to dogs and it is a fact that more than 50% of the cats are facing the diseases in the very first year of their life. Therefore, knowledge about the cat care is necessary in order to achieve a good cat care plan. This article will discuss some of the cat problems and the preventive measures by which your cat can remain in a wonderful state. So here we go,

Stomach Worms

Infestation of worms is a common problem in most of the cats. The cats fail to absorb the nutrition and the result is that the consumption of diet is more and there is no development of health during the period of infestation. The roundworms and the tapeworms are very common and the hookworms are rear in infestation. One or two doses of any medicine can remove these worms. Several precautions are there for the treatment of worm infestation. Most of the times you observe that your cat is eating too much and the sleep cycle become disturbed. In those cases, you have to consult a vet. The vet will diagnose the type of worm after the stool test and suitable medicine will help your pet to get out of this issue.

Vomiting and Diarrhea Issues

There are many types of vomiting. In one type, the cat vomits and there are no further episodes. The single vomiting is better for the cat health as the stomach gave an anti-peristaltic response to the foreign invader. There are many reasons of this type such as engulfing of bad food, rotten fish, etc. Observation shows that due to the humidity issues, pet's food develops a particular sort of smell. That smelling food is very harmful as far as the health of your animal is concerned. Most of the people do not give a proper attention towards the single vomiting but you should at least change the food and give a proper bed rest to the little one. Multiple vomiting is the second type in which most of the cats fail to recover without proper medication. Serious conditions may lead to the blood vomiting. Diarrhea is also a very painful condition and it is most important among many of the cat problems. It is not a disease rather a condition or a secondary disorder that points towards other issues in the digestive system of cat.You should control the dehydration condition by the in time medication. Preventive measure include healthy diet, keeping eye on your pet activities, limited outdoor exposure, daily running, etc.

Urinary Infections and Kidney Issues

This is a serious issue and it affects the males as well as the females. The urinary tract infection may come from the pond swimming or after any dirt adventure. Therefore, if your smart pet is very active and wants a fun and adventure stuff, then you should use the antiseptic solutions. After the dirty tour, you can just dip the animal for some minutes in the water tub mixed with the antiseptic solution. It is very effective strategy and most of the cats love to enjoy bathing. In case of infection, your animal will feel uncomfortable. Urethra may block and accumulation of urine may lead to bad effects on bladder of animal. If the infection penetrates into the renal area then there is possibility of damage in the kidney zone. You can easily identify the kidney issue. Increase in thirst and an aggressive drinking attitude can give you the perfect indication of the problem.

Viral Diseases: Feline Leukemia Virus & Feline Immunodeficiency Virus

These are two common diseases that are prevalent in cats. The virus spreads from the saliva droplets. The virus called corona virus, produce the flu type symptoms. Watery eyes serve as the most important symptom of this disease. As far as the Feline Immunodeficiency Virus is concerned, it affects the immune system of cat. Mainly sexual contact with the infected animals produced this disease.

Other Diseases

Flea, Ticks and Mites Issues

These are all eight legged bugs commonly known to be the pest of animals. These suck the blood of cat and result in the development of many secondary infections. For example, ticks are responsible for the Lyme Disorder.

To conclude, a proper management plan is necessary to tackle with cat problems. Precautionary measures serve as the perfect source to prevent the issues and to increase the life duration of your pet.

Liver disease, is not talked about a lot in the societies of today very often. It is a quiet killer with many symptoms. Statistically, liver is rapidly increasing in today's world as a ruthless fatal disease due to our diets and lifestyles.

Liver disease can be caused by many different things. Some of which are drinking alcohol, abusing drugs, using too much Tylenol, hepatitis, obesity, and many other reasons.

Liver disease can kill you, if not treated early and properly. Regular blood work can show if the liver is functioning well or not. You should always ask your doctor to routinely check your liver function.

A very healthy diet, abstaining from drinking alcohol, and exercise promote good liver function.

Symptoms depend on the type and the extent of liver disease. In many cases, there may be no symptoms at all, or you may have some or all of these symptoms. Darkened urine, due to high bilirubin, nausea, loss of appetite, unusual weight loss or weight gain, vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain in the upper right part of the stomach.

Other sympstoms are, a feeling of illness, enlarged blood vessels in the abdomen ( portal hypertension), fatigue, or low blood sugar. Muscle aches and pains, loss of sex drive, jaundice, light coloration of stools, bloating and distention of the abdomen.

Symptoms of liver disease, as you can see, mimic a lot of other illnesses and diseases, and vice versa.

In Alcoholic liver disease, which is what my husband has, there are four stages. Stage one is a fatty liver, stage 2 is alcoholic hepatitis, stage 3 is liver fibrosis, and stage 4 is cirrhosis, and sometimes cancer of the liver.

My husband's symptoms of alcoholic liver disease were very subtle at first, and they had mimicked the flu, being tired, sleepiness, heart trouble, obesity, muscle pain and weakness upon exertion, and foggyness due to depression.

My husband was a heavy drinker for several years. He quit on his own after a doctor told him that he had moderate cirrhosis of the liver. The doctor warned him that he might die in a few years if he did not stop drinking. At that time he was diagnosed with fatty liver, Barrett's Esophagus, portal hypertension, and sluggish kidneys.

The specialist advised my husband to lose weight, to slow down the disease. He went from drinking too much alcohol, to overeating his favorite foods, which are hamburgers, cheeseburgers, and sweets. He seemed to replace his alcohol addiction with unhealthy food choices. We now know that his kind of food adds to the destruction of the liver as well.

Now it is three years later, and last week he was given the diagnosis of stage 4 cirrhosis. It came on so quickly!

He has been having some of the symptoms for the last few years and we really were not aware of how bad his disease had gotten. He had gradually begun gaining a lot of weight, and he became very swollen in his feet, legs, and abdomen. We just thought this had been due to his poor diet.

Then he suddenly developed symptoms of encephalopathy, (swelling of the brain due to toxins in the brain), a few weeks ago, and he was hospitalized just in time. It was very frightening to see him so very ill. He does not remember anything about the first twenty four hours of going there. He was talking out of critically ill. He became incoherent, and unaware of how sick he was. He stayed in the hospital for a few days until they stabilized him. Then he was sent home with medications and it was up to me to care for him unless he became acute again.

At the hospital he was then referred to a new liver specialist as an out patient. When we saw the specialist, he was straight with us, and told us that John now had stage 4 cirrhosis of the liver. He informed us my husband would need to lose 100 lbs in 6 months to become qualified to get on the liver transplant list.

Now he has to try to lose weight, most of which is water, stay with a special, very strict liver diet. He is to take 7 1/2 water pills a day, and large doses of Lactulose, (a medicine to rid his body of high ammonia levels through the bowels), to help prevent the brain from swelling.

I was inspired to write such an article due to my husband getting this terrible disease from drinking heavily for many years. Warn your friends and loved ones to beware of the causes of liver disease, and also its many symptoms.

There are many sites to visit about these subjects on the internet.

Here are a couple: http://www.medicinenet.com/liver_disease/article.htm

http://www.webmd.com/search/search_results/default.aspx?query=liver%20disease&sourceType=undefined

"The sting of the nettle is but nothing compared to the pains it heals." That is a phrase that has reverberated for ages in the annals of historical herbal literature. And why not? The Europeans have been utilizing the nettle for its medicinal properties for several centuries. Now a new generation is poised to re-discover what their ancestors have known all along.

The stems, leaves, flowers and roots of the nettle plant have powerful medicinal properties. Nettle possesses a rich green color that reveals its high iron and chlorophyll content. The minerals calcium, magnesium, silicon, sulphur, copper, chromium, zinc, cobalt, potassium and phosphorus abound in the nettle plant. The nettle also contains vitamins A, C, D, E, and K, as well as riboflavin and thiamine.

In Europe, the nettle was used as both a spring tonic and in the treatment of scurvy. The Germans used it during the war as fodder and discovered that horses that had become thin due to digestive problems benefited when nettles were added to their rations.

Meanwhile in Russia, it is used as an antiseptic and astringent. The dried, powdered nettle herb is sniffed to stop nose bleeding. Nettle tea is used to improve heart action, to ease headaches, and to alleviate internal bleeding, especially after childbirth.

Nettle is said to be extremely beneficial for the kidneys, being useful in expelling gravel from the bladder and dissolving kidney stones. It is a powerful blood purifier that drives out toxins and metabolic wastes by stimulating the kidneys to excrete more water. Nettle tea is said to clean out the entire intestinal tract while activating the body's natural defense mechanisms.

The nettle tea also kills and expels intestinal parasites like worms. It is helpful in the treatment of dysentery, diarrhea, hemorrhoids and inflammation of the kidneys. It is also useful in the treatment of asthma since it helps expel phlegm from the lungs.

Nettle is also used to increase fertility in both men and women. Due to its high calcium content, nettle tea is specific for easing leg cramps and other muscles spasms, and also diminishes pain during and after birth.

In the book, "The Family Herbal," authors Barbara and Peter Theiss recommend nettle tea as a long-term stimulation therapy for allergies, for people with poor complexions and as an additional discharging therapy in connection with all types of rheumatism and gout.

So the next time you see a nettle plant, be reminded that it is one of the more formidable herbs around and that it possesses properties that are likely to ease or alleviate anything that ails you.